


m o n o t o n e .

by kuzuhina (Know_Your_Paradoxes)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Divergent Timelines, Except It's Not A Fix, Execution, F/F, F/M, Gen, Graphic Description of Corpses, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Multi, Murder Mystery, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, New Mastermind, Non-Canonical Character Death, Not A Fix-It, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 18:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9669986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Know_Your_Paradoxes/pseuds/kuzuhina
Summary: What if the first trial's "culprit" hadn't been executed?





	

Kaede's head was spinning. The class trial had just ended, and she had taken the blame for the death of Amami Rantarou. She had known deep down in her heart that he hadn't died, nor had she actually hurt him. She had missed him when she had activated her trap for the mastermind. He had just happened to be standing in the fire, but he hadn't gotten hit. She had watched, and Rantarou had seemed just fine. She hadn't even seen the body until after the announcement had went.

But she had taken the fall. She knew that if she had to, she would have done anything to protect her friends, and she was going to save them, no matter what the cost, and if that meant getting herself killed, it was a death worth dying.

Saihara Shuuichi, on the other hand, didn't seem to think so. "Akamatsu-san! Don't leave me!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face. He was hunched over, staring at the ground, his knees almost balled into his chest. "I can't lose you!"

Kaede looked at him, shock and concern in her eyes. "Saihara-kun... why are you acting like this? You didn't know me well enough to act as though you were in love with me. We only met earlier. I'm sorry, but I don't think that I can reciprocate whatever you might feel."

He let out a sob before saying, "It's not that, Akamatsu-san... I don't like you that way... I'm scared. What if I mess everything up while you're gone? Then what can I do?"

She smiled at him. "I don't think that you'll have to worry about that... Saihara Shuuichi, I entrust you with my friends. I know that you'll get through this. I promise that if you ever need guidance, I'll always be with you."

He got to his full height, only an inch taller than her, and began to walk over to hug her. She was surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her. His grip was firm, but friendly, and it felt like he was saying "see you later" rather than saying "goodbye". It was one of the most pleasant hugs she had ever received in her entire life, and she was so glad that it was going to be her last moment.

Behind her, a voice cried out, "There's no way Akamatsu-chan did this!" It was Ouma Kokichi, she could tell.

"Tenko trusts Akamatsu-san! She can't believe that she could've done something this horrible!" Chabashira Tenko piped in as well. She was so glad that she was being defended, but she still didn't think that she deserved it. Even though she knew that what they were saying was true, she still didn't feel worthy.

Gokuhara Gonta continued the train of thought: "Gonta also thinks that Akamatsu-san is innocent! A true gentleman can see the innocence in others, and Gonta knows that she is pure!"

Shuuichi looked at her with fear in his eyes. "Please, Akamatsu-san. You can't leave. Not now, after we've all become such good friends with you. We all know deep down that you didn't do it."

Kaede felt tears coming to her eyes as she looked at him. "Don't do this, Saihara-kun. I don't want this to be any more difficult for you all than it already is... It's hard for me too. But trust me, this is for the good of everyone here. You all voted for me, after all, didn't you?" She gave a smile, even though she didn't feel like smiling at all. This was going to be her last moment, so she had to try to stay strong at the very least. She had to be strong for everybody. She had to be calm, she had to be focused, she had to accept her fate.

Iruma Miu then chimed in, "Bakamatsu! You can't leave! The beauty of a thousand suns, blessed with the mind of a goddess, the incredible Iruma Miu-sama won't let you leave like a fucking coward!"

Momota Kaito added, "I agree! I didn't vote for you, actually! I voted for Amami-kun!"

Kaede's facade broke into a million pieces as she stared at Kaito. "Wh... what?"

"You heard me! I voted for Amami-kun! You didn't do it, and I know that you didn't do it!"

Shuuichi nodded. "I didn't vote for you either. I voted for Amami-kun."

Soon, everybody was adding their votes to the conversation, until a list of the votes soon popped on the screens that were flashing above their heads, fifteen students with names and icons, showing who they believed had murdered their classmate.

Hoshi Ryouma: Amami Rantarou.  
Toujou Kirumi: Amami Rantarou.  
Saihara Shuuichi: Amami Rantarou.  
Shirogane Tsumugi: Amami Rantarou.  
Iruma Miu: Amami Rantarou.  
Ouma Kokichi: Amami Rantarou.  
Kiibo: Amami Rantarou.  
Gokuhara Gonta: Amami Rantarou.  
Momota Kaito: Amami Rantarou.  
Yonaga Angie: Amami Rantarou.  
Yumeno Himiko: Amami Rantarou.  
Harukawa Maki: Amami Rantarou.  
Chabashira Tenko: Amami Rantarou.

Akamatsu Kaede: Akamatsu Kaede.

Her eyes widened, watching the names of the people around her pop into view, seeing as they all voted for Rantarou. They all truly believed that he had killed himself. They believed in her. They believed that she didn't do it. They didn't believe that she was the one that had murdered him.

Monokuma's scratchy voice proclaimed, "Dammit, I was really hoping to get in an execution for this one, but... yeah, you bastards are right. Amami Rantarou, the Super High School Level Survivor, was so distraught after having been a part of three other Mutual Killings, that he decided to off himself before he had to put up with another! What a wimp! After all, the only thing worse than a murder is a suicide!"

Kaede wanted to scream. She had truly believed that she was going to die. But there was the definitive proof, staring her in the face, blinking on a screen, looking at the name of the victim and culprit.

Monokid, the most rambunctious of the Monokumarz, began to yell. "THIS IS BULLSHIT! I DEMAND A REVOTE! AMAMI RANTAROU IS INNOCENT!"

Monokuma looked to him, with his red eye glowing. "My darling child... shut up before I decide that I want to execute YOU!"

Monodam seemed to perk up a bit at the thought of Monokid's hypothetical execution, and looked to Monokuma, hoping that he would decide in favor of it. Monokid seemed much more hesitant, however. He stood straighter in posture before responding with a dejected "yes, Daddy."

Kaede could've sworn she heard the faintest snicker coming out of Monodam.

Monokuma seemed to peer around the trial room, looking at the students sprawled out before him. "Well well... since I don't have anyone else to execute, why not execute Amami Rantarou!"

Everybody's eyes went wide and some jaws went agape, others immediately began to voice their concerns and confusion. "But Amami-chan is already dead!" Kokichi exclaimed. "There's no way that you'd kill him again! He's still dead, after all... right?"

"D-Don't tell me this is a twist..." stuttered Tsumugi.

Everyone felt an unease in their stomachs until Monokuma exclaimed, "Of course he's still dead, you dumb bastards!" Everyone seemed to breathe in a sigh of relief, glad that they hadn't made a wrong decision and gotten everybody killed. But the next thing that came out of Monokuma's mouth shocked them all to the core. "I'll just scavenge up his dead body and make sure that thing gets a good pounding!"

Kiibo cried out, "But that's desecration of the dead!" And he had a fair point. Everyone soon started agreeing, openly opposing the bear in front of them. Kiibo looked around before adding to his statement. "That's not despair! Dead people cannot experience that kind of emotion! Dead people cannot experience anything! And us watching a dead body may add to our despair, but it would not hurt us as much as seeing another person whom we all trusted die!"

Monokuma's face began to glow a light shade of red as he retorted, "But Amami Rantarou is the culprit! I can't just go killin' people willy-nilly Milli Vanilli like that! I might be a murderous despair-filled beast but at least I have standards!" He over-exaggerated a harumph and turned so his back was facing towards the students. "Hmm... well, who should I kill in his place then, Kiibo?"

Kiibo looked at the bear with wide eyes and fear radiating from him. "N-No one should have to die now that Amami-kun is dea-"

"Wait just a second there, Kiibo-kun."

Everybody turned around to where the source of the noise was coming from, only to find that Amami Rantarou was standing there, as though nothing had happened, and he was still alive.

The world seemed to fall out from underneath Kaede's feet. What had just happened? Why was Rantarou standing there as though he had just been mildly inconvenienced? What had happened to him to make him lose that much blood but not cause him to actually die? She had so many questions begging to break through her skull and fly into his face.

She surveyed everyone else around her. Many stood with fear and confusion in their eyes, while others shook in silence. Tsumugi had fainted out of the shock it had induced upon her, even. Kaito, Tenko, and Gonta were all standing back in horror, almost the same expressions on their faces, with Kaito's a fraction more intense than the other two's. Kokichi was staring wide-eyed, like he had just become a deer in the headlights, and Maki was stammering to try to think of something to say in response. Shuuichi was standing with his eyes closed and his hands balled into fists. Miu had practically jumped into Kiibo's arms out of fright. Ryouma was practically the only one that didn't look shocked or scared in some manner. Even Kirumi's composure had somehow broken.

"A-Amami-kun..." Kokichi hesitated, his voice wobbling as he spoke. Kaede watched him fumble for words before finally just sobbing and running towards Rantarou.

He didn't hesitate before hugging the smaller boy, leaving Kaede to wonder what kind of relationship or past that these two had. She could tell just from the way that Kokichi was crying and Rantarou was just holding him, letting his tears fall onto him, that there was something between the two of them. But she didn't exactly have the heart to try and figure it out now that Rantarou was alive and standing right in front of them.

"W-Why... why did you make me worry about you like that?" asked Kokichi, his voice muffled by the fabric of Rantarou's shirt.

Rantarou smoothed at the other boy's hair, answering him with as slow and soothing a voice that Kaede could possibly imagine coming from his mouth. "I... I didn't want anybody to kill me. I didn't want people to get suspicious of me... I know that you'd never do something to hurt me, Ouma-chan, but I was... so scared."

And then, even more unthinkable things began to happen.

Rantarou was crying. He was crying, silent sobs, wiping away at his own tears in between hugging Kokichi. "Amami-chan... y-you know that I-I-I'd never let anyone get away with something like th-that, right?" Ouma managed to get out the question despite the tears.

"Of course not. After all, you've been defending me since we were kids, right?" A little, somewhat reminiscent laugh sounded from Rantarou, and soon Kokichi followed suit. Kaede knew now what their relationship was to one another, and she was glad that things were working out, but she was still incredibly confused about the business that now left with Monokuma.

"Where is Shinguuji-kun?" asked Himiko, her voice timid and a bit afraid-sounding.

Rantarou looked up from his embrace, staring at Himiko, then glancing to everyone else.

Kaede watched the sadness in his eyes start to form. "H-He... he came at me. I was so... I didn't want to get hurt, and I didn't want to hurt him... then suddenly a trap went off... somebody set something off and now... he's lying in the library, dead."

Kokichi immediately broke away from the hug. "W-What?" he asked, bottom lip quivering.

"Shinguuji Korekiyo is dead, and... someone here is the reason why."


End file.
